The GESDeK Program is funded by the Government of Kenya jointly with the World Bank and Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The Program is designed to support the implementation of the Government’s public financial management reforms (PFMR) as outlined in the PFMR Strategy 2018-2023. Accordingly, program interventions are aligned with the eight result areas of the PFMR Strategy, as discussed in section 3 below, and cover the period 2017/18 to 2021/2022. The overall objective of the PFMR strategy is to promote transparency, accountability, equity, fiscal discipline, and efficiency in the management and use of public resources. The key implementing are Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are the National Treasury (NT), State Department for Public Service (SDPS), and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).
The GESDeK supports PFM reforms through interventions that promote improved utilization transparent management of public resources in selected service delivery MDAs. The Program is implemented through the World Bank’s Program-for-Results (PforR) financing instrument. Under the PforR financing arrangement, the achievement of results, measured through Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs), is the basis for the disbursement of funds. An Independent Verification Agent (IVA) independently verifies whether DLIs have been achieved using protocols defined in the Program Operations Manual (POM).
The main objective of the Mid-Term Review (MTR) is to assess the status of implementation and progress towards achievement of the DLIs, and the program efficacy and relevance considering the evolving policy environment and emerging development priorities. The MTR provides an opportunity to refocus or re-strategize the reform process to achieve the program development outcomes and effectively support the implementation of the PFMR Strategy 2018-2023.
Consequently, the specific objectives include a review of the achievement of program results against planned targets, identification of challenges, risks, and mitigation measures. The MTR also reviews other dimensions of the Program, including the monitoring and evaluation framework, program management and coordination, and the communication of PFMR reforms. Most importantly, the report contains proposals for the realignment or reprioritization of activities, revisions to DLIs. The MTR report forms the basis for an updated results framework and DLIs for 2020/21-2021/22.
